David Dewhurst Claims He Saw ‘Bags of Feces’ at Capitol

For the last week, activists, lawmakers and media have demanded that DPS produce evidence that protestors tried to bring jars of urine and feces into the Senate gallery last Friday. No DPS trooper has stepped forward to say he or she personally saw jars of urine or feces, although the law enforcement agency’s head Steve McCraw has defended the allegations. McCraw has said all of the items, including glitter, bricks and tampons, were discarded and no names were taken. But today, none other than the state’s second-highest elected official, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, claimed to have seen bottles of urine and bags of feces.

Dewhurst told Toby Marie Walker of the Waco Tea Party in a web-streamed interview that he “walked over to where [DPS] was screening” and saw DPS personnel “smelling” water bottles. “They had urine in it,” he said. Dewhurst, a former CIA operative, also said he saw DPS setting aside bags of feces to throw away. (A transcript is provided below.)

DPS’ original press release, from 4:49pm last Friday, stated that officers had discovered “one jar suspected to contain urine” and “18 jars suspected to contain feces.” Dewhurst said he saw an unspecified number of “water bottles” containing urine and an unspecified number of “bags” containing feces.

Dewhurst’s office didn’t respond to questions today about when and where he saw the bottles of urine and bags of feces. The lieutenant governor is six feet, five inches and the focus of intense media attention: It seems odd that in this era of ubiquitous social media, cameras and video his presence at the crowded Capitols security checkpoints would have gone unnoticed.

“Just like everything else with this, the more that is being told to us the more questions it raises,” said Scott Daigle, a spokesman in Rep. Donna Howard’s office.

In the interview, Dewhurst also said he personally met with DPS a “dozen times” after the Wendy Davis filibuster to go over security. “We had enough firepower that we could have defended the Capitol against a brigade of a thousand al-Qaida.”

DD: “Absolutely and it’s the same as myself I walked over to where they were screening and they were getting bottles out and smelling them, they were getting water bottles out and smelling and they had urine in it. And there were bags they had set aside and were going to put in the trash and throw it out, of feces. Just despicable. Despicable.”‘

Forrest Wilder, a native of Wimberley, Texas, is associate editor of the Observer. Forrest specializes in environmental reporting and runs the “Forrest for the Trees” blog. Forrest has appeared on Democracy Now!, The Rachel Maddow Show and numerous NPR stations. His work has been mentioned by The New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Time magazine and many other state and national publications. Other than filing voluminous open records requests, Forrest enjoys fishing, kayaking, gardening and beer-league softball. He holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Pilotibus

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! The mirror tells the truth.

And this matters why? “The lieutenant governor is six feet, five inches …”

Forrest Wilder

Because he is very conspicuous. If he was in a crowded public space, like the security checkpoints at the Capitol, it would be hard not to notice him.

Tejanarusa

I guess you didn’t read the whole sentence? The second part of the sentence explains exactly what the significance is, as complete sentences often do.

Pilotibus

Jeez, of course I read it … Feel better now that you’ve scoffed at a stranger?

Marty Holden

yeah actually, thanks for asking.

Tejanarusa

He is a liar. Has just demonstrated it. No trooper at the time, on the same date, while screening was going on but after the claim was first made, when questioned (and all the troopers at the doors were questioned) said he had seen any such thing. But now two weeks later, Dewhurst tries to claim he was there? Obvious lies. Shameful.

SocraticGadfly

Part of the bullshit is also that DPS chief Steve McCraw can’t explain why or how ppl got past metal detectors with chains and padlocks, but shit-sniffing troopers could find feces with fecundity.

Kathy Kennemer Genet

I think somebody just won the next Texas Monthly Bum Steer Award….

Matthew Adams

There are always plenty of bags of feces arguing, voting, proposing laws, cheating and lying every day in the Capitol.

http://brainsandeggs.blogspot.com/ PDiddie

Turns out that what Dewhurst saw was just Dan Patrick.

SocraticGadfly

I was going to say he saw himself, while staring in the bathroom mirror. Dudley Dewless strikes again.

Educatedpeasant

If this were true, pro-birthers would have photographs and video. Aren’t there cameras in the Capitol? All the activists should get together and sue for libel.

nobodobodon

I wonder if there’s another tack to this, that they could be legally exposed for not making arrests or at least trying to properly dispose of it. Surely feces is considered dangerous, isn’t it? Aren’t there laws about proper elimination of bodily excretions? At least some kind of health code.

If I went to the capital right now with a bag a poop, they’d just ask me to leave it outside? Toss it? They wouldn’t cuff me right there?

Marty Holden

in most states if you spit on, throw feces or urine at a cop, it is considred assault with a deadly weapon. Perhaps there is exposure there.

Kit Dickson

I’m sure the obvious comment is already here, somewhere, but I’ll pretend I’m original and say it anyway.
“He must have been looking in the mirror at the time!”

Alex Corley

*IF* there were feces/urine attempted to be brought inside the capital by *ANYONE* they would promptly be arrested, and not have a bag of crap confiscated and then invited inside…..

This man *IS* a liar.

Sapient

What’s despicable is his pathological lying. He’s a disgrace to his office and the entire state of Texas.

RoxieInTexas

The fact that David Dewhurst uttered those words makes the unbelievable story even more unbelievable. He was just blowing smoke up a tea partier’s ass.

peteywheats

Grade A Texas Bullshit.

labman57

And yet none of the state troopers stationed at the Capitol could substantiate this claim that pee and poop were being smuggled into the building by protestors.

But hey, Dewhurst says it happened, so of course it must be true.

Edie Clark

Does anyone really believe a high-profile public official like Lt.
Governor Dewhurst dropped by to watch the DPS searching backpacks? I was in the line to get in the Senate Gallery. The Stand With Texas Women staff went up and down the line collecting any water bottles, food, papers, and feminine hygiene products to expedite the bag searches. I didn’t see anything being confiscated at all, much less DPS officers “smelling” water bottles or setting aside anything to throw out ( and who puts feces in the trash anyway?) . Also Dewhurst says he saw “bags… of feces”. Which is it- bags or jars?

Someone at the top wants very badly to discredit the thousands of protesters who came to oppose this bill. So far we only have the word of the DPS Director, and David Dewhurst. It is worth noting that DPS director is appointed by the 5 member board of the Public Safety Commission, who are appointed by the Governor, who happens to be Rick Perry.

nobodobodon

Wouldn’t be the first time Steve McCraw lied to further the GOP agenda.

Wait a minute, folks. I believe Dudehurst saw feces. Those are the images he envisions when he sees intelligent activist women in person. He insults women with his leadership and with his eyes.

He is probably used to submissive women who ignorantly think he is some tough intelligent leader, like his colleague Donna Campbell.

radsenior

David Dewhurst is a lawyer and there must be proof beyond any shadow of doubt, and until proof is provided, David Dewhurst is a liar!

gabriel claudel

I saw David Dewhurst in a dress. Awful.

Kansan

The dress was awful?

unclejeems

Well, I think Mr. Dewhurst was mis-quoted. What he must have really seen was an illegal Honduran carrying a copy of Darwin’s Origin of Species. “Honduran” and “species,” not urine and feces. Dewhurst’s keen sensibilities and eagle-eye caught the subtle differences between a Honduran intellectual who just happened to be attending a protest in Austin–and a Mexican drug mule. Darn the lame-stream media, anyway–always mis-quoting upright conservative bastions of, uh, uprightedness and moralitude like dear Mr. Dewhurst.

Melinda Hasting

Why is the Tampon Scandal now about feces and urine? I would assume if it was real there would have been a Feces & Urine Scandal the very day it “occurred.”

Why wouldn’t they have immediately smeared (pardon the pun) the activists if feces and urine were involved?

Why wouldn’t they have used the information RIGHT THEN AND THERE in order to achieve a better stance to defeat Wendy’s efforts?

Even an anal elected official would have the sense to use such information to his advantage– albeit yukky to behold. I would. I would say something immediately if I saw a bag of crap or a bottle of urine from activists. And if I was a cop, I’d have a duty to document it because that is grossly outside the bounds.